The school bully turned the entire student body against me. The lovestruck rich kid got me fired from my jobs and killed my scholarship. The creepy manipulator tried to play me, planning to use me and toss me aside just to amuse her. Chloe Sinclair smiled, her expression innocent yet cruel. "Get on your knees and beg, Harper. Crawl around the football field three times like a dog. Maybe then I'll tell them to back off." At that exact moment, my phone wouldn't stop buzzing in my pocket. [Babe, say you'll be mine.] [No one will ever hurt you again.] [Baby, stop working those dead-end jobs.] [Let me take care of you. Isn't that what you want?] [Do you like the new collar, Mistress?] Chapter 1 I was the disposable antagonist in a story where everyone loved the heroine. Unfortunately for the script, I was prettier than her. And I was smarter than her. So, when I secured the Valedictorian spot yet again, knocking Chloe Sinclair down to second place, she cornered me in the girls' bathroom. She smiled sweetly, then slapped herself across the face—hard, twice. She mouthed the words to me: Are you ready for hell? A second later, Asher Sterling kicked the door open. Chloe threw herself into his arms, sobbing fake tears. Asher held her fragile frame, whispering comforts. When he looked at me, his eyes were dead cold. He didn't say a word. No threats. No screaming. He just looked at me. A few hours later, I learned exactly what happens when you cross Northwood Academy's princess. Chapter 2 My locker was stuffed with rotting trash. My textbooks were shredded. People "accidentally" spilled iced coffee on me in the halls. I got locked in the gym equipment room. Teachers ignored my raised hand. When I tried to speak to classmates, they covered their noses and walked away like I was a disease. So this was bullying. Fine. I decided to isolate them first. I stopped talking. I stopped participating. I walked with my head down. I cleaned the trash silently and taped my books back together. And then? I aced the midterms. My GPA climbed even higher. I beat Chloe by a landslide. Chloe's eyes were red and puffy all afternoon. After school, a group of guys I didn't know dragged me behind the abandoned bleachers. They didn't hold back. Kicks, punches, pulling my hair. Someone burned the ends of my hair with a lighter. They tore my uniform. I saw a phone recording everything. Asher stood there, watching. Impassive. Like he was watching someone step on a cockroach. Until someone pulled out a pocket knife and brought it to my face. I felt a spike of panic. This face was my best asset. It would be a waste to ruin it. I forced my head up and locked eyes with Asher. I let tears fill my eyes—terrified, fragile, beautiful. Asher paused. I saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes. A spark of attraction he couldn't hide. He looked away, his voice bored. "Not the face. Carve it somewhere else. Leave the girl some dignity." They pinned me down. The blade cut into the skin of my stomach. I bit my lip until it bled, refusing to scream, just letting silent, tragic tears roll down my face. When they finally got bored and left, I stood up. I looked down at the word carved into my skin. SLUT. Just because I took the top spot from the princess? What if I took everything else she owned, too? Chapter 3 Asher Sterling’s family practically owned the city. He didn't stay in the dorms; he had a luxury penthouse near campus. I found a way in. I stripped down, slid under his silk sheets, and waited. When the lights flicked on, Asher looked surprised for a split second. But he didn't look away. His dark eyes raked over me, cold and predatory. I shivered, making my voice tremble. "C-can you make them stop? Please..." Asher smirked, lazy and arrogant. "Sure. If you're obedient." I played the part perfectly. The scared little rabbit. I cried and begged him to be gentle, while in the blind spots he couldn't see, my eyes traced his features with greedy precision. Flawless skin, broad shoulders, old money aesthetics. I’d never tasted anything this expensive before. In stories like this, the best toys belong to the heroine. A nobody like me shouldn't even be in the room. But Chloe handed him to me. It would be rude not to enjoy the meal. Chapter 4 Asher kept his word. The overt bullying stopped. Chloe was furious. Asher just shrugged. "She learned her lesson. She's boring now." To appease Chloe, Asher pulled strings to get me transferred out of the AP classes and into the remedial track. When I saw Chloe in the halls, I acted terrified. But in private, Asher and I were inseparable. We were addicted to each other. He showed his teeth, thinking he owned me. I played hard to get, just enough to keep him chasing. We talked, too. Asher was a cliché. Dead mom, emotionally distant billionaire dad. He only loved Chloe because she gave him a candy bar when they were six. Standard playbook. I became his sunshine. Good morning texts. Encouragement. Stupid little memes. It cost me zero dollars. Eventually, he started replying. [You coming over?] [No.] [Which dress?] [The red one.] [I saw a necklace that suits you. I'm saving up my tips to buy it.] [...] On his birthday, I bought the necklace. I also brought a cheap cake I got with a coupon. Asher's reaction was terrifying. He stomped on the gift box and grabbed me by the throat. "Who told you to celebrate this? You think because I sleep with you, you matter?" He squeezed until I saw spots. Then he threw me onto the couch. In the original story, Asher's mom died in childbirth on his birthday. His dad blamed him. He never celebrated. He hid. Even Chloe knew better than to disturb him today. I coughed, gasping for air. Then I looked up and forced a smile through the pain. "But... it's the day you were born. Birthdays are for cake. And wishes..." Asher kicked the coffee table. "Are you deaf? I said I don't celebrate!" I asked calmly, "Because of your mother?" He froze. Then the rage exploded. He dragged me up. "Harper, do you have a death wish?" I looked right into his eyes. No fear. "She gave her life so you could exist in this world, Asher." He stopped. "So, for this one day," I whispered, "I want you to be happier than anyone else on earth. For her."
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